


Heart of the Storm

by Dreamfang



Series: Lost Chapters of Latent Venom [1]
Category: VALORANT (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Blood and Violence, Character Study for Jett, Combat, Drug Use, Gen, Minor Original Character(s), Same universe as Latent Venom, Written Pre Episode 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:48:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28461933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamfang/pseuds/Dreamfang
Summary: Nobody was better than Hawks, Kingdom's notorious wind assassin. She could move and strike with a speed anyone would dream of having. But her status as a Radiant meant that she had higher standards to adhere to.There were three missions that defined Hawks' fall from grace with Kingdom. She had never been a good teacher, but Kingdom didn't have anyone else to assign to their new Radiant. So it was up to her to work with a second person of equal skills in other fields.Or in short, this is how Hawks died, and how Jett rose from the ashes of that blackened name.
Series: Lost Chapters of Latent Venom [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084760
Comments: 13
Kudos: 21





	Heart of the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> So this takes place sometime before Latent Venom. I had written a thing or two in reference to Jett, and my mind made this. I've been interested in Jett for a while, so I paused and wrote this study to try figure out her character for use in the future. I would say this is pretty much canon for Latent Venom in terms of Jett's origins.

She dashed across the crates, vehicles and roofs of the buildings around, careful to linger in the dark areas that the lights didn't hit. The only sign of her presence was the gentle wind that blew shortly in her wake, easily missed by the cool night and the current time being well into the early morning.

Jett caught a horizontal flagpole and swung herself up on top of it with the last of her momentum. Her hair continued upwards for a few seconds before abiding by gravity's rules again. She surveyed the area, noting the thinned security. It seemed the majority of them had been drawn to her ally, leaving her a clear path to her main target.

At least that Mexican was good for something. It'd've been a pain in the ass to kill everyone here and then the gang leader. Jett wanted an early night and not to spend most of it hiding corpses and any evidence of her presence while she sneaked around.

A sigh left her as she reached into her pocket, taking out a small plastic vial with a red substance in it. She drank its contents in two swigs and pocketed it back.

Said liquid was prescribed by Kingdom since her partnership with them. It helped in controlling her powers and to keep her focus on the mission at hand. It didn't have a taste or any side effects Jett detested. But she didn't want to risk missing a dose; not on a high stakes mission.

Normally she couldn't care less about how to execute Kingdom's targets, but this assignment was the beginning of a new opportunity. Kingdom had made her the lead in a task for two. Jett had another Radiant under her care to give experience to, despite her preference of solo missions.

She couldn't fuck up and be sloppy. She dreaded the consequences to an unhealthy degree. No missions, consistently grueling work and training that lasted for hours, maybe days. All of it was monitored by Emissary, her handler. That woman was a perfectionist and Jett had more than a few scars from failing her precise training courses.

Despite her disdain for it, Jett couldn't deny the effectiveness of those exercises and how swiftly Jett had flourished and improved with her guidance.

Jett's gaze flicked to the sudden flare of lights from the opposite building. Gunshots began sounding somewhere away from that; more to her left if she had to guess.

_ Finally. _

The wispy tattoos on her arms lit up as Jett called to the wind and dashed across into the open window. Her jacket just grazed its wooden frame,her gloved hands drew her gun before she made contact with the red carpet and she rolled forward onto her feet. She quickly scanned the room with the Stinger ready.

It was a corridor. The gunshots were somewhere in front of her and the sound of footsteps echoed from the room behind her. She drew her kunai halfway out of its sheath as she made her way toward her target with a silent foxwalk, her weapon trained on the door in front of her.

She could hear them speaking some language she hadn't heard before with raised, higher pitched voices.

_ Hah! _ Jett couldn't help a small snicker as she neared closer.  _ They're scared. _

An explosion went off behind her some distance away, which almost caused the wind assassin to flinch. It surprised her how casual her partner must be, creating such a ruckus whilst Jett was a ghost in the wind. It did make things simpler, but Jett  _ hoped _ their performances were personal, and not as a pair.

It'd be a bunch of bullshit otherwise, that was for sure.

Jett rolled her right wrist, her arm lighting up with the sky blue tattoos as she sent a gust of wind through the door. It blew open with a loud thud and caused several distinct screams and cries in the room.

Jett dashed into the doorway, her aim trained on the source of the screams as she travelled forward and unleashed a torrent of bullets. Most of them went wide, but she managed to hit two soldiers on the right, and kill another three to her left.

_ Surrounded. Great. _

Jett shifted the wind to turn her body and land feet first against the wall. The wind then changed into an uptail current. The bullets that aimed for her either skewed to the side or towards the roof. As she leapt towards her target, she discarded the gun in favour of her kunais.

The target had a terribly coloured business suit that bloomed to life with Jett's handiwork. She fanned the kunais across his body, eliciting several screams as he stood paralyzed, with a line of knives going up his torso and neck.

Jett landed and yanked them out with her powers. She took one and threw it straight through his eye, piercing well into the socket until only the ionized ring of her knife stuck out.

She didn't admire her work. Her attention was already turned to the remaining soldiers and bodyguards. Some had dropped their weapons while others charged her with melee weapons and pistols. Jett stuck her tongue at them as she pulled her hovering knives close to her. She took each one out with a quick strike to the neck before they could get too close or too far away — Jett manipulated two blades at each distance to make quick work of both the scaredy cats and the reckless idiots.

When the final suit fell, Jett surveyed the room, checking each body visually to ensure she hadn't missed one. Blood had splattered all about the room from the severed jugulars and skulls she pierced, which gave a spotty pattern to the red carpets under her feet.

Jett lowered her knives, collecting the four that floated as she made her way to her target for the fifth kunai. She took the impeccably clean cloth from his suit pocket to pull out the kunai, and began cleaning it from the brain matter stains it received.

Once the knife shone again, Jett dropped the cloth and made her way to her discarded weapon. The gunfight ahead of her had quietened down to silence. Not wanting to be surprised, Jett dismissed her windy current as she reloaded the weapon and leaned her shoulder against the door frame.

Her mind wandered off the mission as she kept her aim trained on the corridor. Assassination missions like this were the easiest for the assassin - obviously. It was difficult to fuck them up, and Kingdom couldn't monitor how well Jett did on them. As long as the targets were killed, and nobody could point a finger at Jett, it was a successful mission.

Off missions, Jett didn't have much to do to pass the time besides rest and practice. Kingdom banned her from the kitchen because the staff complained. She didn't get offered training beyond those for her style of combat, so she couldn't skill up in other things. Not even basic education. 

Jett could hardly read in either English or Korean. Everything she learnt was verbal, and practical. 

_ There's no time to teach theory _ was their excuse. Anything that didn't pertain to Jett's particular skillset was useless to teach her.

And honestly, Jett was afraid to be a failure. She wasn't consistent enough in her practice with Emissary. She'd probably break down trying to  _ read _ of all things.

The sound of footsteps — one set to be exact — made its way with a medium pace, increasing in loudness. Jett shook the thoughts away, and aimed her weapon forward until she caught sight of their owner.

"How slow are you? Did you get lost up the stairs?" Jett growled, frustrated.

Her partner closed the distance quite quickly with a Vandal in hand, her amethyst eyes staring intensely towards Jett. The olive-skinned woman had blood on her clothes and by the corners of her mouth that weren't wiped away properly.

"Well, I had a lot of trash to take out,  _ pequeña  _ Hawks." She stretched her arms wide at her sides, and towards the roof and sighed in a much more relaxed manner.

"What if there were more of these idiots here? Or worse, you got overwhelmed?" Jett folded the gun and slid it back on her belt. "God, I hate babysitting soldiers."

"Watch it,  _ querida. _ I could take you down just as easily."

Jett scoffed as she went closer, her tone shifting to a sing-song, mocking tone. "Look at me, I'm  _ Reyna. _ I worked with the mafia. Big. Fucking. De-"

Jett's head snapped to the side as she cried out. She brought a hand on her cheek, feeling it heat up and the pain blossom across her face from the harsh impact of Reyna's hand — the hand that was gloved, and had five mini metal spikes on them. She looked back at her with a wide, yet angered glare.

"And you're immature  _ como el infierno. _ I don't like this as much as you do. But, we'll be rid of each other soon enough. Just stop with the shit talk - you're not impressing anyone here."

Without warning, Jett shoved past Reyna, using the wind to swiftly move out of the woman's reach before continuing her walk to the window. 

She turned around, and saw Reyna had followed a few steps whilst she reloaded her Vandal. Jett groaned, blinking the water out of her eyes as she climbed onto the window's ledge.

"I'm taking a shortcut. Don't follow me."

Jett darted out through the window without waiting for a reply. She remained in freefall for a few seconds before she activated her powers, landing feet first on the ground by the building as if she were a feather. She maintained a sprint down the alleyways, occupying her mind with the burn instead of the embarrassment she just endured.

Jett was the lead on the mission. Reyna, the supposed subordinate, had no fucking right to hit her like a superior. Jett might be sixteen still, but she had trained for this for years once culinary school was unfortunately out of the question.

What even made Reyna worth it, she had no idea. Nothing screamed Radiant about the woman besides the purple eyes. But if it was actually purple, or Reyna was just a punk in her previous life, she had no idea.

But she didn't care. To Jett, Reyna was just lucky Kingdom decided to take her on. Nobody could keep up with the wind assassin.

Jett slowed to a halt as she leaned on her knees, gasping for air. She kicked the can in front of her with a cry of frustration, which ricocheted against the walls twice before its momentum failed. Then, she sank down to her haunches and clutched her knees.

_ She's not better than me, _ Jett thought, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to calm the anger burning in her veins.

Emissary was always strict about Jett's mood. The assassin was volatile in her emotions, and especially her rage, which led to sloppy missions. She had to be calm. Calm was successful and Jett didn't run the chance of failing.

"Ugh, it's like you want me to fail. Damnit!" Jett clenched the locks of her hair, and remained still for a few minutes.

She occupied her mind with counting. Counting breath times, kills, cuisine dishes she could cook. Anything to bore her anger out.

Jett let out a long sigh as her mood diminished. She untangled her fingers from her hair, regretting that she still hadn't found anything she could fidget with that wouldn't hurt her. The kunais worked, but she had nicked her fingers too many times recently.

If she ran, she could get to Emissary before Reyna did. It would look sloppy if she was late.

Jett rose to her feet and ran to a wall, jumping to close the distance between her and the roof and pulling herself up. It was much faster than turning all sorts of corners in the alleyways.

* * *

They'd been partners for a few months now. Despite that and the training they both went through, Jett still wasn't comfortable with Reyna's style.

The Vampire drew her power from the death of others, Jett had discovered. Her skill was human until the first kill, then she could overwhelm the enemy with raw Radiant power if she chose to.

It was sad really. Jett's powers were hers to use as she pleased. It was a part of her fighting technique to always be in motion and shoot as she moved while the Mexican used hers sparingly. She preferred using hers to reposition herself and continue gunfights as normal.

What was the point in even having such powers if one didn't use them? Jett didn't know, and didn't care to ask.

In fact, her lack of care was the reason she started without Reyna this time.

It was an underground facility with plenty of pathways and pipes to lurk in and take out the enemies with. Jett had rushed in before Emissary finished briefing them over their comm lines.

_ Kill everyone and the boss, yeah yeah. _

She needed to prove her skill. To show them that she didn't need a faker with her and justify her request to have Reyna go to someone else, or for Jett to reclaim her solo missions. She was far more in her element with those.

Having a second person tailing her made it difficult to meet Emissary's expectations. Being the lead, Jett was responsible for the wellbeing of Reyna on her missions. That meant ensuring she was not fatally wounded. But, Emissary had never said anything about Jett's own condition.

It wasn't like Jett was going to test that. She just wanted the Mexican off her list of responsibilities. She had enough on her plate without this new role as a glorified babysitter.

Jett's solo plan however hadn't gone how she imagined it. She had taken out many of the personnel as she searched for her target. However, with so many patrolling, one of them had to have found the bodies.

That was the only explanation she could think of as Jett hid behind a metal shipping container as several sprays of gunfire hammered against it. She took out the soldiers that peeked with her kunais, having run out of ammo a while ago.

She didn't dare try to take their weapons again. Jett had received two nasty gunshot wounds at her waist and shoulder as a result. While she had torn off pieces of her jacket and tied the strips on the wounds for pressure, she was still bleeding.

_ Fuck. Not like this. _ Jett shifted more towards the left of the container. The kunais trembled with the anticipation of her hands. 

The gunshots halted for a moment. It sounded as though they were reloading them.

She seized the chance and poked her head around, seeing the three soldiers with machine guns and many more opening fire with their rifles. Jett hissed, threw a knife blindly towards the Odin users and ducked back.

They just missed her neck. The bullet grazed it, and would probably leave a mark. It was nothing in comparison to her other injuries. But she couldn’t keep this up forever.

Jet lowered her knives to the ground gently, and drew in her power to conjure a small ball of swirling air. She swiped her knives up by their ionic rings as she tossed it down at the space next to her.

The bullets rained hell on that spot as the wind expanded. Jett backed away to the other side of the container and returned her knives to their hovered positions around her.

"Ah!"

Jett threw them forth as a man appeared around the corner. They struck into his skull and abdomen as his gun sprayed and he fell back. She cried out as two more bullets made their home in her torso, causing a warmth to well up in her stomach. She stumbled onto her knees, clutching the bullet holes as crimson leaked from under her hand.

_ "Shibal!" _ Jett cursed in more of a pained groan. 

"Around, around! Turn around!"

The gunshots of the Odins halted before the other weapons sprang to life in a constant torrent of bullets. They resumed quickly after, along with the additions of screams and cries and other barked orders Jett couldn't hear.

The stream of gunshots was slowly decreasing behind her. Jett had shifted back to the middle of the container's length, having no choice but to wait this out. Maybe she got lucky, and there was another person tasked with this mission.

Jett jumped when four bullets made an impact at the wall to her right. She caught a glimpse of a purple mist before it dispersed and saw Reyna stumble out with a Judge in hand and wearing a fairly roughed up business suit.

"Are you going to help or must I do everything?" The Mexican snapped, turning her weapon to the gap ahead of them while keeping an eye on Jett.

"Fuck you!" Jett scowled as she pulled herself up to her feet. "None of this would've happened if it weren't for you!"

_ "I _ didn't go in  _ alone!" _ Reyna fired her shotgun and the thud of two bodies against concrete followed soon after. "Can you move or not? I need an answer now."

Jett's head dropped as she tilted her palm away from her stomach. The blood was thick on the gloves and had begun clotting where it pooled the most. "No, I can't."

_ "Por supuesto que ella no puede," _ Reyna muttered. "Stay here. I'll be back."

The Vampire disappeared around the corner she came from. The bullets began firing again, as did the shouting and the screams.

Jett shifted the winds around her, creating a sphere to hide herself and to block out the noise, not realising how much of a pounding headache it caused. She recalled the kunais and held them at the ready in her free hand, but Jett hoped it would be enough to stay still here.

_ Fuck, I messed up. This is going to look so great for her, ugh. _ Jett scowled at the revelation.

When the petty thought passed, Jett's fear spiked and a lump formed in her throat that she couldn't quite swallow.

If she survived, Emissary was going to _ murder _ her. She couldn't go back if Reyna took care of all the enemies solo.

Jett shifted slowly to the edge of the wind globe and waited, anticipating anyone to walk past. She had to pull her weight, even if it killed her.

_ It won't. I'm not dying here... _

It felt like ages that Jett was poised to attack. When her headache returned despite the sereness of the wind around her, Jett poked her head out of the gust and listened.

There was one final gunshot of a rifle. The rest was a grim silence. Jett could see blood trails and corpses of the people who came back here. They were all gray husks and shells of men and women.

Jett forced herself forward, and limped slowly around the box, collecting a Ghost along the way. The scene was the same, except for the back of a bloodied suit facing her.

She didn't hesitate. Jett took aim and fired at their back.

A feminine cry escaped as her enemy shifted to the left with slight grace, her purple eyes piercing and looking accusingly at her.

"Are you trying to kill all of us!?"

Jett paused, the gun trembling in her free hand. "I-I didn't know it was you..."

"I'm sure. Drop the gun now. We're finished."

Jett shook her head. "Is there anyone else?"

"Pretty sure I got all of them. Well the ones you didn't get on the way at least."

"Can we say we did half-half?" Jett coughed, covering her mouth with the back of her palm. 

She forced herself to look at Reyna's glare, and mustered the most pleading look she could. God, she detested begging, but this was an exception anyone would take. "P-please. I can't disappoint her again."

"How're they going to believe you took down half with me? Emissary sent me in looking for you."

Jett pointed the pistol at Reyna again. Immediately, the Vampire aimed her Judge back at Jett. "I won't hesitate,  _ querida." _

"Do it!" Jett threw the pistol at Reyna's feet and walked towards Reyna, putting her arms at her sides. "We were fighting, and you shot me down by accident. Take all the credit, it's fine!"

"You're crazy from the pain."

"I  _ can't  _ disappoint her again."

Reyna's glare softened after a moment. Maybe she saw Jett's injuries properly only now, but it didn't matter. She got through to the Mexican.

"I won't shoot you. You'll die of bloodloss. But I have another idea that might work." 

Jett hesitated, taking one step back as the Vampire closed the distance, the scent of blood more potent this close which caused Jett's nose to wrinkle. Her Judge faced sideways to Jett.

"You'll just have to trust me."

Reyna raised the shotgun over her head and slammed the butt of the weapon against Jett's skull. The pain spiked harshly in the Korean's mind for just a spell, then oblivion enveloped her.

_ Fuck, she was waiting for that wasn't she? _

* * *

It was Jett's birthday today, and it began with an early — 6 AM to be precise — assassination mission outside a warehouse. She awaited at the top of a hill after scouting the area, playing with the autumn leaves using her abilities. She wondered how long she could keep them stable before physics inevitably made them flip over.

She'd been looking forward to this day for more than half a year now. She was closer to the age status where she didn't need Emissary's guidance, but more so that she wouldn't have to see Reyna's stupid face anymore after this.

_ "My gift to you, Hawks." _ Emissary's husky tone reverberated in her mind. _ "You're not the teaching type, but we didn't have other Radiants at hand. It'll be your last mission with Reyna. I promise." _

They'd done favours for each other to not be seen so badly in Emissary's eyes. Besides Jett's colossal fuckup, she had plenty of opportunities to knock Reyna down a peg or two.

Her favourite was the time Valorant intercepted their mission. Jett had never seen Reyna go into such a bloodthirsty fury, only to be pulled out of her 'empress' form and forced to submit to the enemy like a dog.

It was an understatement to say Jett took her time following them, taking out the escorts and feigning ignorance to Reyna's predicament before  _ finally _ picking the Radianite locks on the Vampire's wrists.

It was worth the hour long chase Reyna subjected her to after that.

"Ah, you're still here Hawks."

Jett turned her head to Reyna. The woman's face lacked its usual sneer. It looked like she woke up on the wrong side of the bed with how neutral her face was.

"Yep. Few more minutes and I might've started without you."

"Please, like that went well the last time you did that."

"Shut up. I almost had it that time."

Reyna scoffed as she unholsted her purple Ghost from her side.

Kingdom had given Reyna her own personal gun to modify and use as she wished, much like Jett's own kunais. It was a wonder why she took such a small weapon, but Jett didn't care too much on such things.

"Okay, let's get this done? I have other things I wanna do today." Jett dismissed the wind around her as she took the red vial from her pouch and drank its contents quickly.

"Lead the way." Reyna gestured toward the warehouse.

Jett took her position in the vanguard as they neared the warehouse. It was quiet, with very little activity around. She almost wondered why it had to be  _ them _ doing the mission. It seemed like a rookie's task.

"Happy birthday by the way, Hawks," Reyna whispered as they neared the entrance. "I know you're gonna run off when we're done."

"Thanks." Jett responded. 

She glanced back to the Vampire for a moment as she positioned herself beside the door, seeing her amethyst gaze steady on Jett's eyes, then to the door.

Jett got the hint. The kunais floated around her as Reyna leaned forward and pushed the door open. The assassin went in quickly with Reyna joining her advance.

Her hands twitched in anticipation as her eyes darted around the room, searching for their target. It was supposedly a woman that was hiding from the authorities that took refuge here.

"See anything?" Jett said after she dashed upwards and landed on a beam.

There was nothing up here except old nests and avian crap, and below was empty aside from some large storage boxes and containers, as well as Reyna holding a position near the centre of the otherwise lifeless warehouse.

"Nothing. Maybe she went hunting?"

Jett considered the idea. "There'd be equipment or wood arou- Agh."

Her knives dropped a few centimeters before she steadied them. Jett gripped the side of her head, momentarily confused.

"Hawks?"

"I-I'm fine. I think? Hold that thought," Jett said quickly. 

She dropped back down onto the floor, and maneuvered her knives in front of her. The kunais were steady in the air. Then suddenly, they dropped ever so slightly again.

Jett felt a wet sensation at her upper lip. She wiped it with the back of her hand and glanced at it. Immediately, she froze, eyes widened at the crimson line.

"I don't think I can do this mission."

"Why not?"

Jett flinched, turning towards Reyna, who had stood behind her.

_ "Shibal!  _ Ah, you scared me." Jett backed away a few steps.

Reyna's expression didn't change as Jett's heart calmed down, and she spoke again. "U-um... Does Kingdom give you that red stuff? I think mine didn't work."

Reyna responded with a sigh as she lowered her weapon. "I don't need drugs to function."

"Can you do the mission?" Jett spoke the words quickly, almost into a single ramble. "I'm not really accurate when it f-fucks out, and I don't want to mess this one up for E-Emissary."

"You're staying here."

Reyna said it with such a finality, it made Jett pause, her eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Why?"

Reyna's gaze narrowed.  _ "Querida, _ this is your mission. Not mine."

Jett scoffed as she shot the Vampire an incredulous look. After all this time Reyna was going to be a hardass now?

In an instant, Jett dashed towards the door. But, she didn't make it past Reyna, who had extended her arm in Jett's way and caught the Korean in the stomach, expelling the air in her stomach as she was pushed back onto the floor.

Jett pulled in as much air as she could in each breath while she struggled to rise up.

"W-what the fuck?"

Reyna raised her pistol to Jett. "Sorry, Hawks. It's nothing personal."

Alarms rang in Jett's mind as she rose to a mental panic. Her powers were unpredictable at best and Reyna was  _ right there! _ Jett scrambled back, trying to rise to her feet with little success.

"C-come on Reyna. You're messing with me, r-right?"

Reyna's lips tugged downwards, and the glare in her eyes softened. "I wish I was, Hawks. Like I said, I have nothing against you."

"Then why this? Who s-set this mission up?"

Jett was stalling for time, trying to figure out how to get out of this besides with a bullet to the head. At the moment, it seemed like she had to gamble on her abilities.

_ Fuck, why did she have to be so close to me!? _

"Emissary."

Jett's jaw dropped at the mention of the woman. It felt like her own knives shanked her heart at that moment. After all this time...

"She said you were too much of a risk to keep. I couldn't bring myself to kill you cold blooded. So, I'm giving you a chance."

Reyna pulled a second Kingdom-issued Ghost from her belt, and tossed it to the Korean's feet.

"That's if you want to try. Your move."

Jett hesitated, looking to Reyna, then the pistol, then back to Reyna.

This was mercy she didn't expect the Vampire to even possess. Even as Jett hesitated on her choice, Reyna simply stood there, her gun lowered to her side, and gaze expectant on a response from the Korean.

"F-fine. I-I didn't like you a-anyway." Jett reached for the Ghost.

As soon as her fingers curled around the grip, Jett pulled the wind around them towards herself, creating a small sphere of gust surrounding her. She heard Reyna step back, and shoot two bullets through it, above her head.

Jett scrambled to her feet, checking the gun's magazine to be sure Reyna wasn't messing with her. When she spotted the bullets resting in the magazine, she reloaded the weapon and dashed upwards to the beams.

Three more shots rang out as she hid on the catwalks above, careful not to expose her body to the Vampire's aim. Jett waited a few seconds before she tossed down another gust of wind and darted to the centre catwalk.

It was a much thinner gust, she realised, when she could see Reyna's form in the wind aiming at her. Jett pulled at the ion knives and threw one of them in Reyna's direction.

She cried out when a bullet grazed her arm. But she also heard Reyna hiss as she threw a bloody knife in Jett's direction.

Jett caught the kunai and retreated back down behind some crates. 

Her heart was beating with such an intense rhythm, it threatened to leap out of her throat with how terrified and betrayed she felt. She couldn't stay in this state forever.

"Your heart's racing. I know where you are, Hawks."

Jett screamed internally at how close Reyna's voice was. Without thinking, Jett darted around a corner and came face to face with Reyna.

But, her knife sliced at the Vampire's eyes before Reyna could take aim.

_ "Mierda!" _ A growl left the Vampire as Jett backed away and ran in the other direction, putting more distance between them.

The warehouse had only one exit to Jett's frantic knowledge. She dashed around the other side and made a beeline towards where they entered from.

Her vision was engulfed in purple as one red eye loomed over her. Jett turned her gaze away and dashed back up towards the catwalks, reaching blindly for the wooden walkways.

Two more bullets hit her arm as she pulled herself up and hid behind one of the poles. Jett risked poking her head from it and shot four bullets back.

Her vision returned in time to note the blood on the Vampire's face as she darted behind cover, but it seemed Jett had sliced the cheeks rather than her eyes. 

_ Oh come on! How did I miss!? _

Jett redirected the wind to Reyna's position. Then she ran across and jumped to the different catwalks. There was no point being sneaky if Reyna could sense her.

She reached the side where the entrance was and quickly backed behind a wooden beam. Jett took a few deep breaths to calm her breathing and terrified heart. Then, she poked her head around with the Ghost aimed unsteadily to the ground.

She couldn't see Reyna. She waited ten seconds, then twenty. 

Nothing.

Jett turned her gaze to the catwalks, just in case the Vampire could somehow  _ fly _ — at this point nothing was off the table for the Korean — and was stalking her from here.

But there was nothing. It was like Reyna was pinned by the wind.

Jett landed back down on the ground, her gun pointed to the crates where the chaotic winds were.

She waited a few seconds before she turned around and used her power to dash outside and away from the warehouse. 

A speedy target was a difficult target to hit, and if Jett couldn't be precise, she could at least have the tailwind.

The wind rushed past her, her hair whipping against her face as she felt something on her ankle. A loud pop cracked through the air, and a sudden, excruciating pain shot through Jett's leg right into her core.

She had never screamed so loudly as she was pulled back and landed harshly on the dusty warehouse floor, seemingly paralysed in one foot as she rolled to a halt.

Jett's scream cut to a whine as she struggled to point the Ghost up at the Vampire.

It was almost like Reyna waited for Jett to aim at her before she shot Jett's shoulder twice, eliciting another scream as the arm dropped uselessly to the floor.

"Ah!  _ Shibal, shibal shibal!" _ Jett cried through gritted teeth in her native tongue. "P-please, s-stop!"

"Are you going to fight back still?"

"Fuck you!" Jett shouted, pain evident in her cracked voice. "T-this isn't a f-fighting chance. You're f-f-fucking with me!"

Jett drew in some air as the Mexican approached and knelt down in front of Jett.

"I've been through worse, Hawks. This is nothing for  _ Radianates  _ like us."

Words failed to form in Jett's mouth for a few seconds. She was speechless at just how  _ casual _ Reyna was with this.

When Reyna's gun pointed at Jett's face again, her eyes widened, not out of the anger she expressed, but the terror making itself known.

The Vampire hesitated, her index finger tapped gently at the pistol's trigger.

"P-please..." Jett's hoarse voice started, "I-I don't want to die. N-not yet..."

"..."

Reyna's trigger finger rested on the barrel of the gun for a moment. She looked down and away from Jett before she spoke.

"How old are you?"

"S-seventeen..."

Jett flinched at how quickly Reyna's eyes snapped back to her and the horrified look that etched itself on the Vampire's face.

"Today? You're only seventeen  _ today?" _

Jett hesitated. She only mustered a small nod as she looked back to the Ghost in Reyna's hand.

_ "¿Qué he hecho...?" _ Reyna's voice dropped to a low whisper as she backed away from Jett, as if the assassin had just burnt her.

Jett sighed as her head dropped against the concrete floor. The pain was becoming too much, and it seemed Reyna wasn't going to kill her yet.

_ Happy birthday, Joon-Hee _ . Jett thought cynically to herself as she closed her eyes.  _ Nobody else is ever gonna say it to you properly. _

A gunshot rang out with a strong echo. Jett's eyes opened as Reyna cried out, leaned forward, and clutched her right shoulder. Blood had begun pouring from it, as if some major wound was caused.

But they were alone. Reyna was disposing of her like trash often was. 

Who else was there?

"I didn't know, Hawks," Reyna hissed as she rose to her feet. "I'm sorry. I hope I'll never see you again."

Jett could only watch as Reyna ducked a second loudass gunshot, and fled out of the warehouse, leaving her to her agony alone.

_ Oh. Guess I'm not even worth the bullet. _

"... came for. Let her go, Sova."

Jett turned her head, not bothering to lift it up as she looked to the entrance. Two people were approaching from a fair distance away. One wore a combination of a white tunic and hat, with browns and blues covering his whole body, and the other was an Asian, but lacked any Korean features.

"The area's clear. She was the only hostile," The man spoke with an accent Jett wasn't familiar with.

"That is a relief," The woman spoke back with a thick Chinese accent. 

There was a pause as both of them seemed to look in Jett's direction. The assassin merely closed her eyes again, tempted by the sweet embrace of oblivion.

She hardly felt herself slip. They spoke, but Jett caught nothing of their final words.

* * *

For the second time in a year, Jett woke up without a single ache in her body.

_ Is this what death feels like? _

Jett cracked her eyes open, recognising the catwalks she fought on not too long ago.

"Welcome back."

Jett snapped up to a sitting position, and immediately leaned back against her hands from the vertigo.

"Please! Do not rush." The alarm in the Chinese woman's voice was evident.

Jett noted how quickly the woman had come to assist her. There was one hand holding her upper back, and the other hovered close.

"Uh..." Jett's eyes darted around the space they were in, noting how little they moved location wise, and recognising the same white-dressed man standing alongside another blonde man with a bow slung on his shoulder. "What the hell happened?"

"You were injured by one of your allies. We had learnt this mission was taking place, and we intervened as soon as we could." The woman lowered her gaze. "I am sorry you took so much damage because of our tardiness."

Jett shifted away, which prompted the woman to withdraw her hands and rest it on her lap — she sat on her knees — as Jett awkwardly crossed her own legs. "I don't even know you. Who are you guys?"

"I am Sage." She gestured to herself, and then towards her allies. "They are Sova and Cypher. What might your name be?"

Jett sighed, looking away from Sage. Of course those couldn't be their real names. "I don't have one a-anymore. I'm practically dead to Kingdom now.  _ Sh-Shibal..." _

Jett cursed internally. She despised her stutter when she wasn't under pressure — fuck, she shouldn't stutter at all. It showed such weakness...

A hand tugged Jett out of her thought before they descended down a darker path. She spotted it on her shoulder, then looked at the woman. Sage offered a genuine smile, along with a knowing gaze.

"It is alright. We came to offer you a new home, if you wish to join us."

"And 'us' is...?" Jett spoke slower, deliberately pronouncing each syllable.

"We have been hurt by Kingdom as well. Some of us are like you, cast out to the darkness. Others joined because they do not believe in Kingdom. We are Valorant."

Jett's eyes widened. "I fought you guys before!"

Sage nodded. "That is how we learnt of you, and your mastery over wind. You are a Radiant, yes?"

"Yeah. Wait... a-are you guys too?"

"Of us three, only I am a Radiant."

Jett rose to her feet and scooted a few steps back. "R-Radiants don't have a mean streak, right? I just got u-unlucky?"

Sage stood up with far more grace without the use of her hands for support. "Whatever Kingdom has told you, they did it to keep you with them. We are Radiants and also people who can use Radiant technology."

Despite what had just happened today, Jett's guard remained high and her brows narrowed at Sage. "M-maybe. But you guys are the s-same. You hurt a lot of people. I-I don't want that again."

Sage paused, and hummed as she gestured to Jett. "Have you looked at your condition yet?"

Jett followed the Chinese woman's gaze, and gasped. She hadn't realised she stood up, or even noticed the pain.

No wonder she slept so well...

"That is my power. I help those who require my aid. I also rally those who can help us prevent such needless suffering. Valorant does not want the world at our mercy."

"... And if I want to leave r-right now?" Jett tested, hesitant on the words. "Like, 'cool, Valorant's h-here, but I ain't i-interested'?"

"We will respect your wishes if that is what you desire," Sage responded evenly, without even a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Jett glanced to the three Valorant members, eyeing them with as much scrutiny as Jett ever gave to her cooking.

These people — these Agents that are meant to be her enemies — appeared relaxed, and happy, even the one who had a scar across his eye. They didn't seem stressed by their work or tasks. They looked healthy. Hell, the blonde one looked even a little too well fed.

They also managed to scare Reyna off. Kingdom didn't have the balls to rein in that bitch.

"One question. I d-don't have to drink a-anything, or meet high..." Jett paused, feeling her heart quicken for a brief moment. Still, she pressed on with her words. "High expectations? I-I'm not perfect..."

Sage quirked an eyebrow. "Would you explain further?"

Jett sighed, lowering her gaze from the woman as her arms crossed over her torso. "Do I h-have to?"

Many of her injuries hid under the light hairs of her arms, and the more brutal ones were concealed under her clothes. She didn't let anyone see them. Nobody needed to know how frail she had been.

Sage paused for a moment, her hands adjusting the sleeve of her shirt before she spoke. "You do not. I only wish to understand what you are asking, so I may answer."

Wordlessly, Jett pulled off her left glove and showed her hand close to Sage out of sight of the men - she didn't need more eyes judging her than needed. A jagged white scar extended from the gap between her middle and ring fingers down to the centre of her hand.

"I got this while training." Jett winced as she spoke, noting how the healer's expression shifted slightly to shock while she looked over it, before it was neutral again. "M-my trainer said I-I can't let things like blades hold me down... I n-need to fight in w-whatever condition I'm in."

"We do no such things." Sage slowly moved her hands to Jett's own. The Korean remained still as it was enveloped in the woman's warmer hands, like a hug Jett just barely missed. "This is abuse. And we do not condone such teachings. Our only requirement is teamwork, and a willingness to learn."

Jett pulled her hand back reluctantly, half regretting showing the scar as she hid it away.

Sage continued once Jett had looked back to her. "We do not expect perfection, for none of us are perfect to begin with."

"We only ask that you give it your best, whatever it may be on that day," Sova added, a slight Russian accent apparent in his tone.

It sounded too good to be true. Jett wanted to feel skeptical, feel like this is a ploy Kingdom was pulling, or something else...

But this Sage spoke with such charisma and certainty. Jett didn't feel she was omitting or hiding anything from the assassin.

In fact, she hadn't seen such  _ kindness _ from anyone since culinary school. Anyone else would have laughed at her, and told her to suck it up.

But Sage, she seemed to understand Jett's position.

_ Shit, how many did Kingdom fuck over? _

"I'll try. Worst thing I'll do is leave i-if it's not for me," Jett said finally.

Sage gave a genuine smile as she offered her hand. "Welcome to Valorant."

"What's your name going to be, little bird?" Cypher spoke up, twirling a coin across his knuckles like Jett used to with her kunais.

"Name?"

"For all of our safety, we do not use our real names," Sage explained. "Rather, we use code names for our allies to call us."

"Jett," she said without missing a beat. "I'm not a bird. I'll never be that trapped thing again."

"From this day forward, you are an equal to all of us, Jett." Sage said.

"Good..." Jett hoped her instincts weren't wrong, or acting on a base desire for comfort. "I'm k-keeping you to that promise."

Jett breathed as she tugged at the air around her. She extended her hands out, and brought them close into a clap, except a tiny gap remained between her palms.

Her knives darted through the air and stopped in a wobbled circle around her hands. Her tattoos faded as she caught all five, and twirled one in her hand.

"Very well. I understand your skepticism."

"Maybe," Jett responded as she took a deep breath. "J-just... let's just get out of here. I-I don't want to see her again."

The agents looked to each other, and exchanged a quick nod before they began to move towards the exit.

Sage waited for Jett and fell into the wind assassin's pace while the two men took up a position in the vanguard.

The calmness of Sage was almost intoxicating for Jett. How could someone be the very definition of it, yet know so much pain?

Jett wasn't sure she ever felt this relaxed before, especially not knowing any of them.

But, she was certain that if these Valorant guys were hurt as much as she was by Kingdom, then they'd share the same desire to take it down.

_ I'm coming for you Reyna. _ Jett clenched her hands until her knuckles went white.

This whole time, Kingdom had used for what she was worth, and when they found someone better, they tried to kill her. __

_ You'll never hurt me again. _

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this one shot. It was an interesting thing to write between these characters. And seeya in the next one. I will probably go back to Latent Venom now haha.


End file.
